Knowing whether a mobile station (MS) is moving or stationary can benefit network operators in many ways. For example, mobility information can help improve an accuracy of a location determination. For example, a continuously mobile MS may indicate that a subscriber is driving, and thus a location of the subscriber can be narrowed down to a nearby road if combined with a map. By way of another example, knowledge that an MS is mobile may be used to determine the kind of services to provide to the MS, such as which advertisements to push to the MS. In addition, statistics of subscribers' mobility information can help network operators better understand their network traffic distribution and thus allow the operators to better design and deploy their base stations, identify coverage holes, and minimize traffic loss.
One might think the problem of determining MS mobility can be solved by MS location information; if there is a change in a location of MS, for example, as measured by a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system, then the MS is moving, otherwise the MS is stationary. However, in reality, this is not a trivial determination. Location methods such as GPS can provide very accurate location information, but there are many limitations preventing network operators from benefiting from GPS enabled devices. First, it may take years for every mobile device to include a GPS device, especially for emerging markets. Second, GPS information is not available in an indoor environment. And third, operators may not be able to obtain GPS information from subscribers due to privacy issues. Other location methods, such as correlating received signal strength and distance from a receiver, are far from accurate. As a result, use of location-based methods for mobility determination is not a good choice for operators at this time.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method and apparatus for determining mobility without changing the components of existing infrastructure or depending on enhanced MS capabilities.
One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common and well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.